Hán-Nôm Dictionaries

The Hán-Nôm Dictionaries tool is a collection of dictionaries that provide definitions and explanations for Hán-Nôm characters. This tool is especially useful for researchers who need to look up the meanings of Hán-Nôm characters in historical texts.

Hán Nôm Dictionary

This is a collection of significant dictionaries and lexicons on Vietnamese Chữ Nôm that have been digitized. The collection includes: Tự điển Chữ Nôm Dẫn giải (Nguyễn Quang Hồng), Giúp đọc Nôm và Hán Việt (Anthony Trần Văn Kiệm), Nguyễn Trãi Quốc âm Từ điển (Trần Trọng Dương), Từ điển Taberd (A.J.L. Taberd), and Nhật dụng Thường đàm (Phạm Đình Hổ).

Tự Điển Chữ Nôm Dẫn Giải (The Dictionary of Nôm Characters with Quotations and Annotations)

To date, The Dictionary of Nôm Characters with Quotations and Annotations by Prof. Nguyễn Quang Hồng is the largest dictionary on Chữ Nôm, containing nearly 10,000 entries extracted by the author from 124 ancient works and texts from various periods, fields, and genres. The dictionary is systematically and scientifically structured into two columns: one column identifies the character form, pronunciation, and code of the character, while the other analyzes the structure of the Chữ Nôm character, provides its meaning, and includes relevant contextual examples. Special attention is given to the variations of Chữ Nôm characters, with each entry possibly having one or more variant forms that are clearly recorded from specific textual sources. This is a significant highlight of this dictionary.

Giúp Đọc Nôm và Hán Việt (Nôm and Sino-Vietnamese Pronunciation Guide)

The Nôm and Sino-Vietnamese Pronunciation Guide by Father Anthony Trần Văn Kiệm consists of two main parts: Part I introduces and lists the radicals used in writing Hán-Nôm characters, followed by an arrangement of Hán-Nôm characters classified by radicals and stroke count. This method of radicals organizing Hán-Nôm characters allows readers to quickly identify the pronunciation of a character in both Sino-Vietnamese and modern Vietnamese, thereby enabling them to easily find the corresponding meaning in Part II. Part II provides the pronunciation and meaning of each Hán-Nôm character. The pronunciation section includes the Beijing Mandarin pronunciation (transcribed in Pinyin, which the author refers to as Phanh Âm), the Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation, and the Vietnamese (Nôm) reading. This is undoubtedly one of the rare and valuable books for referencing and self-studying Hán-Nôm that anyone passionate about learning these ancient scripts should read.

Nguyễn Trãi Quốc Âm Từ Điển

Nguyễn Trãi Quốc Âm Dictionary is a work by Dr. Trần Trọng Dương, dedicated to the study of the language used in Quốc Âm Thi Tập — the only surviving collection of Nôm poems by Nguyễn Trãi, composed in the 15th century. The dictionary not only examines ancient Vietnamese vocabulary but also preserves many aspects of medieval Vietnamese culture and customs. The work focuses on explaining and tracing the origins of over 2,500 entries, including words, idioms, and allusions, across 12,000 syllable occurrences in Nguyễn Trãi’s poetry, helping readers gain deeper insights into the language and culture of his time. With both scholarly and practical value, this dictionary is a valuable resource for the study, teaching, and learning of Vietnam's classical literature.

Taberd Dictionary

The Dictionarium Anamitico Latinum, first published in 1884 and reprinted in 2004, was compiled by French bishop A.J.L. Taberd and records both Nom and early Quốc Ngữ scripts. It preserves many archaic Vietnamese words, serving as an essential resource for studying and safeguarding the history of Vietnamese writing. The online version, digitized from the 2004 edition, allows searches by radical-stroke or Quốc Ngữ glyphs and includes references to plants, herbs, and other historical details. Though some errors may occur, it remains a practical tool for scholars and language enthusiasts, with reader feedback encouraged for improvement.

Nhật Dụng Thường Đàm Dictionary

Nhật Dụng Thường Đàm is a small Sino-Vietnamese bilingual dictionary compiled by Phạm Đình Hổ (1768–1839), consisting of 32 thematic categories such as Astronomy, Morality, Confucianism, Food, and Beasts, with Han characters explained through Nom script. Though limited in scope, it effectively introduces common words and phrases and serves as a valuable resource for comparing Hán and Nôm scripts. The dictionary, engraved in the 4th year of Tự Đức by Đồng Văn Trai printing house, is currently preserved at the National Library of Vietnam (catalog number R.1726) and contains 52 sheets printed on dó paper. Each entry includes a Hán character and its corresponding explanation in Nôm script, illustrating the structure and function of bilingual entries.

A Dictionary of Nôm Tày

The Tày people have their own form of Nôm script, developed from adaptations of Chinese characters to record the Tày language, and it has been used in literary creation for centuries. Tày Nôm once played an important role in cultural and linguistic life, and many valuable manuscripts are still preserved today in the northern mountainous provinces. In the early 2000s, a group of authors in Cao Bằng compiled the Dictionary of Nôm Tày, which was reviewed and supported for publication by the Institute of Hán-Nôm Studies, providing a useful research tool for the academic community. The book reflects the authors’ dedication to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the Tày people. The digitized version of this dictionary was produced as part of the Vietnam Nôm Preservation Foundation's (USA) effort to preserve the Nôm script heritage.